Category Archives: Del Real Foods

Two years ago, I participated in a recipe contest using Del Real products, and although I wasn’t one of the winners, they gave me a free trip to Los Angeles to film my very first recipe video! (If you haven’t checked out my awesome video, click here.)

In addition to Del Real just making great food – authentic Mexican food that only requires heating – they are also a caring and thoughtful company. A few months after I filed the video, I began treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer, but Del Real Foods didn’t forget about me … they even sent me a huge box of free, delicious, easy-to-cook food! It was such a blessing to me to have healthy and tasty food that I didn’t have to spend precious energy cooking.

So in addition to being a great company that makes healthy food, they are also just good people.

Recently, I came home to this.

Isn’t that a beautiful sight?

Yep, I knew right away that it was packed full of delicious Del Real food, but it also contained a cool lunch box, a sweet reusable shopping bag, a couple of water bottles and two awesome t-shirts. And the good people at Del Real Foods want to share the same box with one of my lucky readers!

I first got the idea for this recipe from a video I saw on the Fit Men Cook Instagram page, where they used spaghetti squash and rotisserie chicken to create a low-carb (read: no pasta) chicken tetrazzini. I adapted this recipe to a) add Del Real pre-cooked shredded chicken, b) add red onion and “zoodles” (spiralized zucchini) to the spaghetti squash (for extra colors and flavors), and c) I cooked it all in little acorn squash bowls, just to make them adorable.

Low-Carb Chicken Tetrazzini

(adapted from Fit Men Cook)

1 package of Del Real shredded chicken;

Two acorn squashes, with the tops sliced off and the insides scooped out;

1 spaghetti squash, sliced into rings

1 zucchini, spiralized

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

3/4 cup milk (can substitute coconut milk or other milk)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 panko or breadcrumbs (optional)

2 tbsp. diced rosemary

2 tbsp. dried thyme

2 tbsp. parsley

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

First, slice the spaghetti squash into rings and remove the seeds inside. Lay each slice on a baking sheet (with a spray of olive oil) and bake for about 20 minutes at high heat. Let it cool; then you can easily remove the “spaghetti” on the inside.

(Note: unless you are using your spaghetti squash for a “boat” or something, this is probably the easiest and fastest way to prepare it. Save time and try it this way the next time you make spaghetti squash for anything!)

Mix the squash, the zoodles, the herbs and half of the parmesan cheese, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and onion with olive oil and let cook until the onions are translucent. Add the milk, the cheese, and the chicken broth and let simmer until it thickens slightly.

Blend the squash mixture with the milk mixture, then add in the shredded chicken. Then fill the acorn squashes (or mason jars), cover with more parmesan cheese (and optional breadcrumbs) and bake at 300 for about 20 minutes until the cheese and crumbs form a crust on top.

Note: This mixture is quite tasty by itself and can be used as a healthy side dish as well as baked in a large casserole dish for a party or large dinner. I decided to use mason jars and squash, mostly so I could use the mason jars for an easy lunch, but this recipe is totally adaptable.

Pin or save the recipe card here:

Now, for the giveaway.

The Del Real Foods company has offered to let one of my lucky readers get this huge gift box full of food, t-shirts and water bottles, as well as this totally adorable lunch box and grocery bag. (I told you they were nice!)

This is my second year participating in the Del Real Foods food blogger recipe contest. Last year, I was lucky enough to have been selected by the company to make a video for my Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe, even though I wasn’t a winner. It was so much fun!

Anyway, it didn’t take much for me to become a fan of Del Real Foods. Their products are all minimally processed – for example, chicken and pork that is marinated and fully cooked, but without all of the additives (and tons of salt) that you typically find in premade, frozen “convenience” foods.

This year, I hope I win the contest, instead of just making a video! I am a huge fan of pupusas (I’ve made my own before), and the Del Real brand pupusas are really delicious. Since a pupusa is basically a handheld, self-contained grilled cheese sandwich, I decided to do a Mexican-style play on the typical grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup combo.

If you can, try to use fresh tomatoes. You can use canned tomatoes if necessary, and it will still be delicious, but the extra sweetness that comes from a fresh tomato is a perfect compliment to the spices in the soup. And don’t be afraid of that whole jalapeno pepper — this soup is a little spicy, but it compliments the pupusas perfectly!

Spicy Roasted Tomato Soup with Pupusa Dippers

(Serves 5)

10 fresh tomatoes (or two big cans of stewed tomatoes)

1 red onion, chopped

1 head of garlic, diced

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 avocado

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cube of tomato chicken bouillon (Caldo de Tomate)

1 package of Del Real Foods Pupusas (5 individual pupusas)

2 tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 cups water

salt and pepper

Cotija cheese (for garnish)

First, begin with the fresh tomatoes and roast them whole in a broiler or over an open flame. (If at all possible, use fresh instead of canned tomatoes for the best flavor.)

Roast the tomatoes until the flesh starts to shrivel and blister, then set aside to cool.

While the tomatoes are cooling, sautee the jalapeno, onion, garlic and celery in a large pot, and cook for a few minutes until slightly soft. Then trim the stems off of the tomatoes and add to the pot.

Next, add the spices, water and bouillon, and bring to a boil. Then cover and let boil gently for about 15 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are soft. While the soup is boiling, prepare the pupusas — it’s really easy, just cook them in a pan for a few minutes on each side.

When the soup is finished, use an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients, and serve immediately with a hot pupusa, garnished with cotija cheese and avocado.

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Disclaimer: I was provided Del Real Foods products free of charge as part of the food blogger contest, but received no other compensation, financial or otherwise, for this post. The opinions expressed herein are my own.